IRBA Newsletter Issue 52

Issue 52 | October-December 2020 5 STANDARDS cont. Audit of Financial Statements; • ISA 250 (Revised), Consideration of Laws and Regulations in an Audit of Financial Statements; • ISA 260 (Revised), Communication with Those Charged with Governance; • ISA 265, Communicating Deficiencies in Internal Control to Those Charged with Governance; • ISA 330, The Auditor’s Responses to Assessed Risks; • ISA 402, Audit Considerations Relating to an Entity Using a Service Organisation; • ISA 500, Audit Evidence; • ISA 501, Audit Evidence – Special Considerations for Selected Items; • ISA 530, Audit Documentation; • ISA 540 (Revised), Auditing Accounting Estimates and Related Disclosures; • ISA 550, Related Parties; • ISA 600, Special Considerations – Audits of Group Financial Statements (Including the Work of Component Auditors); • ISA 610, Using the Work of Internal Auditors; • ISA 701, Communicating Key Audit Matters in the Independent Auditor’s Report; and • ISA 720 (Revised), The Auditor’s Responsibilities Relating to Other Information. ISA 315 (Revised 2019) and the related Conforming and Consequential Amendments to Other International Standards become effective for audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2021. Early adoption is permissible and encouraged by the IRBA. To download ISA 315 (Revised 2019) and the related Conforming and Consequential Amendments to Other International Standards, visit the IRBA website. ISRS 4400 (Revised), Agreed-Upon Procedures Engagements The IAASB issued International Standard on Related Services 4400 (Revised), Agreed-Upon Procedures Engagements (ISRS 4400 (Revised)) on 3 April 2020. Subsequently, at its meeting on 29 October 2020, the IRBA Board approved ISRS 4400 (Revised) for adoption, issue and prescription for use by registered auditors in South Africa. The changes in substance include: • Scope and Responsibilities o The scope now covers Agreed-upon Procedures (AUP) engagements on both financial and non-financial subject matters. o New requirements and application material clarify the practitioner’s responsibilities in relation to the various parties involved in an AUP engagement, such as the engaging party, the intended users of the AUP report and the responsible party for the subject matter on which the AUP are performed. • Compliance with Independence Requirements o New requirements and application material recognise that, even when the practitioner may not be required (for example, by law or regulation, an ethics code or contract) to comply with independence requirements, the practitioner may agree with the engaging party that compliance with independence requirements is appropriate for the purpose of the AUP engagement. • Professional Judgment o There are new requirements and supporting application material for the practitioner to exercise professional judgment throughout the engagement, including in accepting, conducting and reporting on the AUP engagement, taking into account the circumstances of the engagement. • Engagement Acceptance and Continuance o The revised ISRS introduces new requirements and application material in relation to engagement acceptance and continuance considerations. • Using the Work of a Practitioner’s Expert o New requirements and application material provide guidance on how a practitioner’s expert can assist the practitioner in an AUP engagement. • The Agreed-Upon Procedures Report o There is enhanced transparency on:  The responsibilities of the various parties in- volved in an AUP engagement; and  Whether or not the practitioner is required to comply with independence requirements; and if so, the relevant independence requirements applicable. o There is new application material to guide the practitioner in deciding on whether to restrict the use or distribution of the AUP report. o New reporting requirements and application material address circumstances when a summary of findings is provided in the AUP report and when the practitioner is undertaking an AUP engagement together with another engagement. This revised ISRS may be downloaded from the IRBA website . The following guidance material is also available on the IAASB website: • Introduction to ISRS 4400 (Revised): Fact sheet. This revised ISRS is effective for agreed-upon procedures engagements for which the terms of engagement are agreed on by or after 1 January 2022.